


Let Me Grow Upon You

by SirFrankieCrisp



Category: Captain America (2011), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012), The Avengers - All Fandoms
Genre: Autumn, Cliche, Falling In Love, M/M, Post Avengers (Movie), Tony Feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-21
Updated: 2012-09-21
Packaged: 2017-11-14 18:41:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/518326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirFrankieCrisp/pseuds/SirFrankieCrisp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Then it hit him.  The weirdness, everything.  Tony realized, halfway through his caffeine-bomb, that he had no idea what to feel because he had no idea who the hell he was dealing with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Me Grow Upon You

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very movie-universe take on the developing friendship/ohmygoshsomuchmorethanfriendship between Steve and Tony. I usually don't share things, so let me know if there are egregious errors. I am not the most careful author! Enjoy or don't enjoy!

Fall could easily have been Tony Stark’s favorite season in New York City.  The heat, humidity, and crowds of summer all but diminished, there was a quiet sophistication to the whole city.  This fall in particular was shaping up to be one of the most oddly wonderful in his experience.  The summer had brought about its share of pain- the aftermath of the battle for the Tesseract had unsurprisingly left Pepper unable to cope with his newfound status as Avenger; after a month or so of her best effort, she took a plane to Los Angeles for “space”.  “Space” soon turned into a peace of mind she had not achieved in years, and so that was that.  He would never hold it against her, given that all the choices were his, but it hit him to the core when walked around the then-empty Stark Tower.  He saw the damage Hulk and Loki had done to her brainchild and even though crews started work on it the day after, he knew the house was serving as a depressing metaphor. 

 

            “I’m worried about you,” she admitted one day in late August, her amplified voice cutting through the echoing halls of the Tower courtesy of JARVIS.  “Is it better when we don’t talk?  I just don’t know what I-“

 

            “I don’t know what you’re worried about, Pep- I’m fine,” Tony interrupted.  He walked down the hallway from his bedroom to the kitchen, talking to the air.  “I got people.  Dr. Banner is using this place as ‘temporary housing’, as if I’ll ever let him leave… if you got Dr. Banner then you of course have another person too- I mean, a giant green person who isn’t _adept_ at conversation but he gets by.  JARVIS.  Dummy. Butterfingers.  I’m like, surrounded.  I’m actually crowded.  Suffocating, under my popularity”  By this time he had reached the kitchen, desperate for something to cool his Pepper-talking nerves.

 

            Pepper had clearly given up on trying to cut into his tirade.  Instead she huffed out a small sigh that trailed off into an even smaller laugh, and tiredly replied, “If you insist, Tony.”

 

            Tony let out the breath he was holding and reached for a beer.  “I do.”

 

            “Well, in that case,” she began, “Monday is your meeting to discuss the Stark Energy model with city officials.  You may want to have some idea of what the model is, and furthermore how you’re going to make it accessible-“

 

            “Energy.  Accessible.  Yes, hearing you loud and clear.  Even louder and clearer thanks to this new model of Starkphone.  Did I mention I’m a genius?”  He popped open the can.

 

            “Yes, Tony, I’m in awe of your prowess.  Will you please have something prepa-“

 

            “Yes. Yeah, I’m already working on it, as we speak,” Tony waved her off distractedly, swigging his beer. 

 

            “Okay Tony,” Pepper conceded.  “Talk to you later, then.”

           

            “Mhm.  See ya,” Tony managed to stifle urges to drag out the conversation, turn it back to matters of the heart, not just this CEO-managerial bullshit that he had come to expect from her.  He knew it was not only possible, but probable, that they would have to end things; despite that, he knew making her CEO was the only choice.  And clearly, she was mature enough to handle it.

  
            He just needed to catch up with her. 

           

            He wasn’t sure how long he was leaning against the refrigerator, staring blankly into space and holding his beer, when he was shaken out of his reverie by a hand snapping in front of him. 

           

            “You…alright there Tony?” Bruce nudged gently.  He had somehow become Tony’s rock throughout the whole Pepper trauma.  Not one for drawing out emotions and having long sympathy fests, he stood silently by Tony, gently reassuring him that he wasn’t alone.   The night Pepper left after a surprise visit to the Tower only to let Tony know that the Los Angeles move was a permanent one, Bruce had left Tony to his own devices. Literally, tinkering with his devices in his workshop- until six hours later he descended the staircase with greasy fast food and beer.   They talked about science things and not once did Bruce bring up what had happened, but he knew.  If Tony hadn’t already decided Bruce wasn’t ever moving out, that night solidified it. 

 

            “Yeah! Yes, just lost in my own head.”  He bit back making another genius comment.  This wasn’t Pepper he was talking to, his defenses didn’t have to shoot up.  “Want a beer?”  He asked, trying to get off the subject of his brooding.

 

            “Sure,” Bruce replied.  Tony rummaged through the fridge and grabbed another.  “Thanks.”

           

            “No problem.  We have enough to feed an army,” Tony began.  “Which…speaking of, I wonder where our army is?  Last I saw of Capsicle he was riding off in the sunset without a word of where he was going.  Clint and Natasha must be under SHIELD’s wing still, which can’t be any fun, and Thor’s in another dimension.  What happens if the world, I dunno, needs us?  Or something?”

 

            Bruce smirked and glanced at the floor before coming out with, “Well, no offense, Tony, but I’m pretty sure the team’ll have no trouble finding the tallest, gaudiest building in New York.”

 

            Tony put a hand over his heart and feigned hurt, backing up into the living room.    “Even if I wasn’t offended by that statement, which- ouch, you know how to cut the deepest- by the time they all stumbled on in, and Cap got on his booties, half of New York would be obliterated.  Imagine if our response time had been any slower, with what Loki brought to us.”

 

            Bruce followed him to the couch, sinking heavily into it. “You’re right, you are- but it’s kinda their choice, Tony.  And nobody’s come crawling to our doorstep yet.”  Tony gave himself a mental high-five for Bruce’s use of “our doorstep”. 

 

            “Yet,” Tony promised, picking up the remote control.  “TV time?”

 

            “Absolutely.”

 

            Tony flipped on the television.  He and Bruce had similar tastes in television shows- science, luxury cars, history channel.  They usually spent week evenings catching up with some lazy man-time.  Tony absently flipped through until he thought he saw a familiar face, on some local news station.  He had passed over it, but it made him pause.

 

            “Is that…?” Bruce began.  Tony flipped the channel back, and lo and behold.

 

            “Thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to talk to us, Captain.  It’s really important work you’re doing here in Crown Heights at the shelter,” gushed the female newsanchor.  Brooklyn.  Of course Steve was in Brooklyn.

 

            “Not at all, Miss,” Steve Rogers replied bashfully, ducking his head and looking flushed.  His hair had clearly been combed to the side in it’s normal blonde perfection, but somehow got mussed up a bit.  His attire was the everyday Steve, awkwardly-waisted khaki pants with a white shirt.  He clearly hadn’t been on any shopping sprees with SHIELD agents.  Even with all his performance experience, he seemed anxious about appearing on camera.  He seemed set on fleeing the moment he could.

 

            “We’ve had lots of questions pouring in about you, and what you and that team, the Avengers, I think you’re calling yourselves?  What was the hardest part of the recent attack on New York City?”  She stuttered through.  She clearly had a thing for her interviewee. 

 

            “Well, that’s- a tough question.  The cleanup to get the city back in working order so civilians can go back to their lives uninterrupted is tricky, since we just can’t take every construction worker for this job alone.  Luckily the surrounding states have been helpful with that.”

 

            “How about during the battle?  Was there a point you thought it was all over for you and the others? 

 

            Steve’s eyes softened a bit, then darkened upon his recollection.  “We almost lost a soldi- somebody.”  Tony shifted uncomfortably on the couch, as if he were watching something he shouldn’t, spying.  “One of our most vital teammates laid his life on the line, took a big risk.  It almost didn’t pay off.  He knew his odds weren’t great, but he did it anyway.  When I thought he wasn’t gonna make it, I…” he trailed off, eyebrows knitting in distress  “Well, I was scared.” Tony felt awkward and didn’t know what to do, so he flipped channels quickly.  Bruce started a bit in reply, and glanced over at Tony, who was working hard to appear unfazed.  He settled on a quiet nature show, which neither of them watched, really.  Tony’s mind was racing.  He knew- just from the Cap’s concern for him when he was shocked awake, his equalizing handshake before they all parted ways, that he no longer thought Tony was the douche version of Howard Stark.  What he didn’t know was that his teammate had such a strong and personal connection to his well-being.  Unless Captain America was putting on a big, caring, love-me-cuz-I’m-perfect mask for the world to fall for, Tony felt moved and oddly cheated.  Why wasn’t he aware that they were in the friend zone now?  Tony liked being the first to know things. 

 

            “It’s cute that he thinks you’re so vital,” Bruce mumbled out, shielding his face when a pillow was flung in his direction. 

 

            They sat “watching” the show for a while longer, until Bruce stood up and stretched lazily.   “It’s 10:00.  I’m going to bed,” he said, mid-stretch.

 

            “10.  That’s like, almost morning.  We really need to cool it with our party habits.”  Tony drawled.  He stretched out on the couch, having no interest in moving all the way to his bed. 

 

            “Well, you know around where the Captain lives.  I dunno Tony… take a risk,” Bruce began as he stalked away.  “Your odds aren’t great…but you can still do it.”  He kept walking even as a pillow thumped on his shoulder blade. 

           

            “You’re not funny and you never will be!”  Tony called out from the couch.  Bruce was right, though.  It was time to talk to the Captain. 


End file.
